First Word

This is the 65th anniversary of the Allied firebomb-murder of Hamburg known as Operation Gomorrah, which I outlined a year ago. For this year’s remembrance, I propose to continue the review of Grayling’s book on the subject, by listing the main milestones of just war thinking at the level of international consensus, to the extent expounded by Grayling. (As usual, the page number references are given in parentheses.)

1. Augustine – credited as the first to expound limits to warfare based on Christian theory.

2. Thomas Aquinas. 3 conditions under which war can be justified: (1) just cause, (more…)

This is a story about Google, not First Word. But to make make the case I will be developing here, I will need to present evidence, (more…)

The topic addressed in this little book is important, asking such questions as what is law? where did it come from? what are the dynamics (more…)

The thesis is that the “Easter belief” of the early Christians (a) refers intentionally to a literal, physical (not merely spiritual) raising of Jesus from the dead, and (b) the mode and breadth of this belief can only be explained on the hypothesis that that is what actually happened. The thesis is pursued in specific and detailed interaction with the Leben Jesu literature, most of which denies the resurrection. The characteristic emphasis that we would expect from Wright is (more…)